Fast Break

Girls basketball

Lake City’s Baker top Idaho player

For the third straight year, Lake City’s Katie Baker has been named the Gatorade Idaho player of the year.

The award recognizes athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character. Baker is a finalist for the national player of the year award to be announced soon.

The 6-foot-1 senior led the Timberwolves to a 17-9 record this past season and a berth in the 5A state tournament, where Lake City took fourth.

Baker has signed to play at the University of Montana.

Hockey

Chiefs-Americans game sold out

The first meeting between the Spokane Chiefs and the Tri-City Americans since their Western Hockey League brawlfest last month will take place before a sellout crowd at the Arena tonight at 7.

But if you don’t have a ticket, you will be able to watch the game on Comcast channel 78. The two teams will play again in Kennewick on Saturday with that game also on Comcast 78.

Spokane is one point behind the third-place Kelowna Rockets in the Western Conference. Those teams meet in the Arena in a regular-season finale Sunday.

Basketball

Registration open for 20th Hoopfest

Today is the first day participants can sign up for the 2009 Hoopfest 3-on-3 tournament in the streets of downtown Spokane.

Billed as the largest 3-on-3 tournament in the world, Hoopfest draws more than 6,400 teams and 25,000 participants. The event, celebrating its 20th anniversary, takes place June 27 and 28 and includes more than 13,000 games, 410 courts and covers 40 city blocks.

Participants can find entry forms at all Bruchi and Yoke’s Fresh Market locations. They can also register online at www.spokanehoopfest.net.

Hoopfest is also looking for volunteers, including 550 court monitors. All full-time court monitors receive free Nike gear. See the Web site for more information on volunteering.

Baseball

Papelbon calls Manny a cancer

Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon compared former teammate Manny Ramirez to cancer, saying Boston made the right decision when it traded the slugging left fielder to the Los Angeles Dodgers last summer in a three-team deal that brought in former Gonzaga University and North Idaho College player Jason Bay.

“We weren’t afraid to get rid of him. It’s like cancer. That’s what he was. Cancer. He had to go.

“We got Jason Bay – Johnny Ballgame, plays the game right, plays through broken knees, runs out every ground ball – and it was like a breath of fresh air, man! Awesome! No question.”